Thol Lake Bird Sanctuary, Gujarat [5 September 2009]

Thol Lake – A Sanctuary for Birds, and for the Soul

The Thol Lake

Lake almost full

Safe and sound

Water skiing at Thol Lake

Weaver birds

Blue-tailed Green Beater

Listen to my song

I’m all Ears

Cattle egret

Sigh, where are my mates 

Great egret

Searching

Soft landing

I am not a sparrow, what am I?

Little Cormorant

Cooling off

Long-tailed shrike

River tern

Ready for the plunge

Where are you guys?

When a friend first suggested a visit to Thol Bird Sanctuary in December, just 30–35 km from Ahmedabad, I declined. I was unfamiliar with the location at the time and missed the prime season, when the migratory birds arrive, transforming the lake.

Life, however, had its own timing. In early September, I was in Ahmedabad on my doctor’s advice, undergoing medical tests at Samved Hospital, including a CT angiography. Those days felt heavy, shadowed by doubt. The relief I felt when the doctor told me, “You’re good for another five years—just don’t slip back into a reckless lifestyle,” is hard to put into words. It felt like a reprieve, a chance to reset.

So, on August 5th, I set out for Thol Lake determined not to miss this opportunity. After paying the modest entry fee, we stepped into a landscape both serene and alive—broad waters ringed with high embankments, wetlands stitched with green, and scrub forests on the edges. Birds were everywhere: herons poised in the shallows, ducks drifting in formation, egrets lifting in sudden flurries, and storks circling overhead.

What struck me most was the silence. The area was all ours, except for some youths near the water. The quiet, broken only by bird sounds, named the sanctuary—a haven for birds and anyone wanting peace. Standing at the water’s edge, I felt the weight of the past weeks lift. The birds mirrored life’s march onward and ignored human worries.

This year, I look forward to returning when the great migrations arrive, when Thol becomes one of Gujarat’s hidden wonders for birdwatchers.

sign boards

Bird posters

Focus on the Gujarati bird name

Thol Lake

And to end on a lighter note—if you know Gujarati, the bird names in the official brochure will make you laugh out loud. My companions read them on the drive back to Ahmedabad, turning a meaningful day into a joyful memory.